


4:36 AM

by peeled_oranges



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Car Accidents, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, I swear they can be good, Not Actually Unrequited Love, PLEASE LET THEM KISS, Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, i love them, please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29542986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peeled_oranges/pseuds/peeled_oranges
Summary: “How bad was it?” he croaked, and Zen looked like he didn’t want to answer.__________________________________content warning for — car accidents, hospitals, hospital equipment, injuries
Relationships: Han Jumin/Zen | Ryu Hyun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	4:36 AM

**Author's Note:**

> read the tags and description! they're important. I didn't really proofread or revise this, so it isn't perfect, but I had fun putting it together. I hope you enjoy!

Jumin was feeling light-headed, how long had he been hanging upside-down for? He tried to recall what had happened but the ringing in his ears and the flashing lights from the ambulance were making his head pound, his heart really felt as though it would burst from his chest as his blurred vision slowly began to clear.

The car was totaled, having flipped at least twice, and managed to land on the roof. He looked to the front seat, Driver Kim seemed to be breathing still, but he wasn't conscious. The left side of the car appeared crushed in, had they been T-boned?

The driver's injuries seemed minimal, but Jumin found himself in much worse condition, having to hold an eye closed to keep blood from getting in, he may have a broken nose.

The impact bent things out of place, Jumin knew that, but he didn't expect his legs to be pinned by the passenger seat in front of him. It wasn't a light hold either, it was crushing, and it crossed his mind for just a moment, the implications of what this injury could mean for him.

His focus was brought back to the sound of a door being forced open, and watching a stranger in uniform pulling out the elder man in the driver's seat. He had realized help had arrived earlier, but he only now understood what was happening. They were going to get him out of the car, even if he was stuck.

The door beside him cracked as it was forced open, and Jumin wanted so badly to look towards the individuals who had to see him in such a state, but the brace that had been quickly secured around his neck left no room for him to move. He swore he heard a few voices, or maybe it was only one? But regardless, he couldn't make out anything they were saying. His adrenaline was high as he continued to think about what had occured, feeling a hand on his shoulder and another string of unintelligible words before—

"Gh!!- St-o—!!!" His eyes flew open in response to the sudden rush of aching pain that overwhelmed him. They were trying to move the seat trapping him, but they couldn't do much to alleviate the on and off pain that coursed through him, causing him to writhe in his constraints and curse and scream.

Eventually, he lost consciousness, overwhelmed by the torturous pain he was having to endure. Part of him thought he was dying, that he had closed his eyes for the last time. But the gentle alarm of the Holter monitor's steady beeps and the chatter of doctors and nurses passing by his room was enough to wake him.

When he opened his eyes, the last person he had expected to see was Zen, sitting in the chair at his bedside, asleep, as though he had stayed awake for as long as he could to keep an eye on him. Glancing around the room in search of a clock, he managed to find one near the television hung on the wall.

4:36 AM.

For a moment he considered trying to sleep again, until he heard a few sharp inhales and then—

Zen sneezed, properly waking himself from his slumber before he began looking around the room as if to remind himself where he was, and then his gaze landed on Jumin. Red, glassy eyes stared down at him, wide with surprise before he slowly stood from his seat and kneeled at Jumins bedside. A few beats of uncomfortable silence paired with a look Jumin couldn't quite understand.

"You're awake…"

Jumin smiled, although he lacked tact, Zen was charming as ever. He would go as far to say that he loved the actor's odd personality, but Zen would argue that he wasn't odd at all.

"Yes,," his voice was hoarse and cracked, and his throat burned from one word, but the fact that he could speak was enough. He kept smiling.

"You look pretty happy to be in a hospital bed." The sarcastic joke drew a laugh from Jumin, which quickly turned into a small coughing fit. Zen promised to try not to do it again. Once Jumin finally regained what little composure he had left, he hummed a bit to himself before calling for his... friends, attention again.

“How bad was it?” he croaked, and Zen looked like he didn’t want to answer.

“Well,, I mean- you know-” His words were cut short by a soft knock at the door, Zen stood quickly and moved to answer it.

“How is he doing?” A woman’s voice asked, Jumin swore he recognized it.

“He seems okay, he woke up not too long ago, so…”

_“He’s awake?”_ Who is that? He was trying desperately to put a face or name to that voice but-

“Yeah, but he still seems pretty out of it, I don’t wanna overwhelm him or anything.”

“Zen, are you sure you don’t want to switch with one of us? I understand you’re worried for him, but I really think you should go home and sleep in a bed.”

“I’m fine Jae,” — Jaehee? Miss… Assistant Kang is here? — “Visitor hours start again soon so it’ll be okay.”

“It’s only 5:30 Zen, visitor hours are from 10-8.”

“Oh, it’s that early?” Zen’s tone became a bit nervous, as he slowly backed up into the room, “Well, I kind of wanna talk to him for a little while longer, is that okay?”

Jaehee sighed, “I’ll give you 15 more minutes with him. But after that you’re going home, got it?” Zen must have nodded or given some other nonverbal sign of confirmation, because the conversation ended and the woman's footsteps could be heard retreating down the hall. Zen slipped back into the curtain room and Jumin finally noticed the dark circles underneath the actor's sharp eyes. Maybe even tear tracks.

Zen wiped his face too quickly to tell. He sat back down with a sigh and looked to Jumin, exhaustion was written everywhere on his features, in his body language.

"You look,, tired." Zen huffed out a laugh. "No shit, I haven't been able to sleep longer than five minutes."

"I apologize for the inconvenience." Jumin's words fell into another uncomfortable silence, this was unbearable.

The thick air of discomfort lasted a while, until Zen finally cleared his throat. "I never thought I'd see you in a hospital, not like this I mean. I always thought you'd be the one in a chair or waiting room, not a bed…" Zen trailed off, attempting to gather his thoughts as he fiddled with the empty can of soda on the table beside him. "Your driver barely had even a scratch, but you-" Silence. Whatever the younger man wanted to say, he was holding himself back.

"But I what?" Talking felt like swallowing gravel, but this was probably the most civil conversation the two had together in months. Jumin refused to let the opportunity go to waste.

Another beat of silence followed up by a surprisingly unsteady voice, "You got hurt so bad- I thought you were in a coma or something and I just- The driver- He basically got out without a problem, _maybe_ a concussion but you're stuck in this- this place, for I don't know how long, I don't even-" Zen paused, refusing to keep rambling and risk crying, that wasn't him. He could handle this.

"I'll be okay." A short, simple answer. In all honesty he could be lying, Jumin Han could be lying through his teeth right now without even knowing it.

"Nobody even knows if you're gonna be able to walk properly- or at all, ever again-"

"If that's the case, I'll deal with it." He was scared, it showed in his voice, but the little hope he scraped together was the only thing he could hold on to.

"Jumin, you can't just be fine with that-"

"I never said I was."

"But if-"

"I will deal with it." He was stubborn, annoyingly so, but Jumin knew if he entertained an idea like that he would really, truly break. He was just a porcelain antique being edged off a table.

"If you had died I would've brought you back to kill you myself."

"Does that mean you would have missed me?" Zen huffed, leaning back in his seat while he watched the steady drip of the IV. "So what if I did… I'm so used to arguing with you it would be weird if it just stopped all of the sudden."

Jumin smiled. "You don't hate me as much as I thought you did" the unspoken 'but you still hate me enough' lingered in the air.

"I don't hate you…" that was extremely unconvincing. "I just get bothered by you sometimes."

"You mean all the time."

"Don't put words in my mouth. I don't hate your company, I just hate the way you treat Jaehee and how you only ever talk about—" He sneezed again.

" 'My cat'? Is that what you were going to say?" Zen nodded, wiping his nose with a tissue. "She isn't here, I don't understand why your allergies are an issue right now…"

The albino groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The fur ball was here earlier, Jae got it in, which I'm like- 98% sure that isn't allowed, so I don't have a clue how she managed that."

"Please tell Assistant Kang that I'm grateful."

"I'm not a messenger boy,, tell her yourself next time she comes to see you." Zen argued, sighing to himself. Jumin stared at the ceiling boards. "Do you know when that will happen?"

"Not soon enough… she's been trying to get a hold of V all night, he isn't picking up."

"He's on holiday."

"That doesn't mean he can't answer a phone for 30 seconds to know his friend just about died." He had a point.

"He doesn't have service."

"Then why the hell does the phone ring and not go straight to voicemail? He's fully capable of picking up and giving a shit..."

"Getting upset over it won't get us anywhere."

"How are you not upset that he isn't here…" That's where Zen was wrong, knowing V hadn't come, hadn't even been made aware of the situation, it hurt. Everything that was happening hurt.

Zen caring hurt. V being absent hurt. The inability to go home and sleep off the day hurt. His heart hurt.

Why is the only person Jumin could never have the one keeping him company? This is so much more than torturous. He was overwhelmed, hungry, exhausted — could it get any worse? It could, and he knew that, but being at his weakest next to the man that he craved, that was demoralizing.

"Hey, Jumin?"

"What…"

"Why are you crying?"

"That's a stupid question."

"No I know but… I've never seen you- I mean- I didn't think you were gonna…" Jumin managed a pitiful laugh, "Everything has gone wrong, what isn't there to cry about?"

"Jumin…"

"I'll get over it. No need to concern yourself over something so trivial."

"I'm sorry for bringing up V."

"That isn't the problem." He was filled with such a want for someone he couldn't pursue. That was the problem.

"What is it? I wanna help Jumin, I don't like seeing-" A gentle knock at the door cut him off.

_"Zen, it's been over 15 minutes, you need to get home."_

Of course, Jaehee's timing was everything but convenient, and Zen hesitated to move before deciding it would be best not to push his luck. The timing of it all was ridiculously cliche, like something you might read in a poorly written story online. But regardless, Zen gave Jumin one last glance before exiting into the illuminated hallway and heading outside for a long drive home, concern weighing on the actor's mind.

He'll come back tomorrow.


End file.
